Fugacious
by Mrs. Flamer
Summary: They had barely seen each other, and neither of them felt like meeting the other again. Just another pretty face, was what they thought. Nothing more, nothing less. So when they met again, neither of them had expected the outcome. AU.


AN: This story isn't going to be brief. At least, not for me. This chapter is around 3200 words, and there is still more to come. The title means 'fleeting', if you were wondering. It's not a word that I decided to make up.

**Fugacious**

CHAPTER ONE:

Kuukai had always been defined as handsome; with tan skin unnatural for most Asians, yet typical eyes for someone his race , a whimsy (and even quite feminine) nose and a head shape people dreamt of applying make-up to. It was a pretty unique look he carried with him, but it fitted him in a way it wouldn't have done for most people.

Utau had never been one to fall for people just because they had good genes. She was beautiful herself, with soft blonde hair that never seemed to split (it did, others simply never noticed) and extraordinary purple eyes, closely set to each other. She had high cheekbones and a slim, oval shaped face. All in all, she was naturally pretty.

Their first meeting was fleeting and couldn't be described as one. They had barely seen each other, and neither of them felt like meeting the other again. Just another pretty face, was what they thought. Nothing more, nothing less. Then they met again, not too long after.

Whether you want to blame it on fate, destiny, god, or whatever else there might be that can turn the wheels of our lives, a love story could never be completed with just one look at the other's face. This love story being no exception to the case. And neither of them could expect the events that would occur.

It began on a misty day in Tokyo, a day where most people stayed inside, but dear Utau had to go and buy a present for her father. She had completely forgotten about his birthday (which she blamed her music for, since it kept her distracted), so only a day before the event, she had to go out and find something that her father would like. She wanted it to be special, but that didn't mean she'd spend her complete day on finding such a gift.

So when she passed by a small, antique music store, where the soft sound of a person playing a very elementary form of a well-known piece came, she almost instinctively knew she would find the perfect thing there. Music ran through their genes: her brother and father both played the violin, while she was still trying her hardest to become a famous singer. Not because she wanted the fame that badly, but because she wanted to touch other's hearts.

So when she stepped inside the murky shop and saw a boy playing the piano full of passion, she couldn't help but keep staring. The music that came out wasn't brilliant, flawless or astonishing , but he surely had a love for the piano that shone through brightly.

When he ended, he lost the carefree grin on his face. He gave the keys a last, gentle stroke, before running out the store, pushing Utau against the wall to her side. She stared rather indignantly at the disappearing figure before turning to the instruments in the room. She didn't know a lot about violins. She knew her brother had a brown violin. She knew that said brother had gotten that violin from their father. And well, she knew that they were able to produce the worst sounds (and the best, too) possible. Not a lot, she noticed, and for a moment she wished she'd had studied the violin just like her brother.

"Are you looking for something?" The meek voice that called out to her almost made her jump up; she hadn't seen anyone besides the auburn-haired boy. She turned around and smiled respectfully at the older male, nodding quietly.

Breathing in loudly to recover from the shock, she raked her mind to figure out what she had to say. "I'm looking for a violin for my father, but I don't know what he'd like at all."

"If it's a present, you should go and try them all," the man said. "See what you like the most, it doesn't matter if it's the best one or not, because it has to be a gift from the heart."

The blonde bit her lip slightly as she stared over at the violins on the rack. She didn't want to come over as a completely newbie in the world of music, which she really wasn't, but there was nothing else to do but ask. Even if that meant that she would have to let go some of the faux proudness of her being so good in everything she did.

"How do I try them?" she asked carefully. The man let out a hearty chuckle as he stroked his grey beard. His protruding eyes, a deep blue color, had a playful glint in them as he gestured to all the violins he had available.

"Find out yourself – as long as you don't break anything, I'm okay with it."

Utau nodded as she picked up the first one she saw, it was an electric one in blue with an anchor like shape. She mentally laughed at the idea of her classical schooled father trying to use an electric violin. He was a modern man, with a youthful face and a constant smile, but that didn't mean that he'd suddenly change from classic to electric. She could vaguely remember Ikuto asking why he couldn't get an electric violin when they were younger, but it was so long ago that she could only remember it faintly. She was still far too young at that point, after all, Ikuto had learned to love (really, he loved it more than he seemed to love anything else) the object more after the answer… Or was that just her memory playing tricks on her?

Knowing that she was still in the middle of a store holding a violin she would never buy in her hands, she quickly placed it back before grabbing onto an older one: a typical baroque violin.

It seemed one of the more expensive ones there (and violins weren't cheap to begin with), so she put it back too, not giving it any more thought.

The next violin that she picked up was an acoustic model. She wasn't too sure of the wood, but she guessed it was maple. It felt good, so she placed it on her shoulder in a pose she'd seen too many times before. She placed one of her hands on its neck and used her hand as a string to see if it was comfortable enough.

Without her noticing, the man had come up to her with a steel core string. She opened her eyes as its coldness touched her hand, and quickly shook her head to say no.

"It's a D'Addario Helicore string, they're quite responsive." She nodded and took the string from his hands, putting it to the violin but not touching it. She tried stroking the air with it to see if it was still easy to handle, and when pleased, she lowered both hands, careful not to let go of the violin.

The man looked bewildered at her choice not to play. "Don't feel shy, I'm sure you're a wonderful player by the way you're able to handle the violin so perfectly."

In one way, she was content that she'd gotten such a compliment. In the other, she wondered what she had to do to prove him she'd never played the violin before. With a sigh, she put the violin on her shoulder again and quickly she moved over it with the string, producing sounds that weren't all too pretty.

A youthful laugh that clearly didn't come from the old man almost made her drop everything she was holding. The same boy as before stepped into the store, a cheerful smile tugging at his lips.

"There's a reason she didn't play, gramps," the boy said, the smile that he had before changing into a smirk. The old man shrugged lightly.

"She isn't really talkative, Kuukai, I simply thought she was too nervous to play. You should've seen her handle the violins! I haven't seen such-" Kuukai kindly slapped his grandpa on the shoulder, gesturing for him to stop ranting.

Utau, feeling irritated with the way they were ignoring her (and still a bit mad at the fact that the boy had run her over as if she wasn't there to begin with) huffed loudly before grabbing her credit card. With her usual sharp tongue intact, she turned to the brown-headed boy. He gave her his thumbs-up, which only caused a low grunt to escape her throat.

"So you think you can laugh at me after you ran me over? What was that about, anyway? There's something called respect, do you know it?" Utau didn't stop talking, neglecting all kinds of defense from his side until she finally came to a halt. The boy looked surprised at her outburst. He hadn't been expecting such a thing from her, at all, not with the way she'd been behaving all the while.

"Oh, what did you think? That I was some kind of nice pretty girl that wouldn't dare to open her mouth against you or something?" The old man, knowing that he was unnecessary in the argument, turned away and went up the stairs. Kuukai cursed at his luck, realizing that the girl in front of him wasn't about to stop. And now that his grandpa decided to leave him, he surely felt quite anxious.

Kuukai's eyes barely changed from the way they were as he finally got out something. "Uh… I wasn't laughing with you?" _Or trying to run you over,_ he mentally added, but decided against bringing that up again. She was already angry enough as it was, he didn't feel the need to add oil to the fire.

"No? Then why did you do it, huh? Music is music, whether it's good or not." She knew that the argument she brought up didn't make any sense, but the warm laughter that she suddenly heard made her think that it hadn't been that bad to say it.

Kuukai nodded in a way that he, himself, would've called 'wise'. "You're right! It's all about the feel, who cares about technique!"

He pumped his fists into the air in a far-too-hyperactive-way for Utau's liking, before going over to the piano, sitting down on the small seat.

"Stop," she muttered lowly. He looked surprised at this, but she merely continued, "I came here to buy a violin, not to hear a rude person like you rant. Now, let me pay."

He pouted as he stood up, walking over to the cash register.

"I'm not rude!" he yelled awkwardly, as he accepted the credit card. Her eyebrows raised at this as he continued what he was doing, putting the violin into a case.

"That is all you have to say? Really? I'm going." She grunted as she accepted the violin, and without another word, she walked out of the shop and into the mass of people.

Kuukai tilted his head to the side with a light smile. She had been one of the most amusing customers he'd gotten; a bit fierce, and maybe even aggressive (he surely wouldn't have wanted to rile her up even more), but she had a good view on music in his eyes. She did seem to have a bit of an ego, which he didn't particularly like, but it wasn't as if he was going to see her again, so what did it matter? She had brightened up his mood, which was a good thing.

When Utau had left the store, she'd felt absolutely pissed. What did the boy think he was? He didn't even apologize for his actions, instead acting like a naïve kid. She pushed the bridge of her nose as she breathed in slowly, this was getting to her and that wasn't very positive.

No one liked an angry Utau: those are frightening.

The distance from the street she was in to her house wasn't that much. It was more than most people wanted to walk, but she wasn't so against it at the moment: the air would calm down her senses. And thus, the seventeen-year-old girl made her way through the with people filled high-street, to the small alleys and dirt paths that eventually led to her little villa.

It wasn't exactly the largest house ever, since her father didn't like boasting around that he had money, but it seemed nice enough and she was sure that some people were jealous of the house. She was proud of it. And she was proud of her father, who was able to achieve so much in life. She loved her mother, but the woman wasn't exactly the most courageous person alive. She didn't want to do things that were risky, which was understandable, but risks had to be taken sometimes.

Utau had done so herself by switching over from a well-known record label to a smaller one because she wasn't allowed to make the music she wanted to make. Her father had encouraged her decision with a large smile, saying that she only had to produce music with a feeling in it, but her mother had told her to be realistic, that the large label might've been her only chance at becoming successful. Her mother had been right in a way, but she was a lot happier without the forced (and cliché) love songs she had to sing.

Sighing at the memories, she opened the door. She knew it would be open, it almost always was. Not the smartest move, but her brother wasn't exactly the type to remember that doors had to be locked.

"Ikuto?" she called out. He had to be home, unless he suddenly decided to visit his mystery girlfriend (Utau was still wondering who it was, although her brother had been with said girl for almost a year now.) A sound of something falling on the ground was heard from the left side of the house, and she instinctively knew that it was Ikuto's way of telling he was home.

She slowly went up the stairs and when she passed by her room, she threw away her shoes onto the carpet. She liked walking barefoot, it was one of those strange things about her. When she reached Ikuto's room, she didn't knock, or something like that, she simply barged in, the violin case in her hand.

"Elegant as always, I see," Ikuto retorted dryly, a magazine lying open next to him on the bed. He ruffled his blue locks with his free hand as the other clenched onto a necklace. Utau snorted and settled down next to him.

"I've got him this violin," she said softly, a gentle smile grazing her features. Ikuto stroked her blonde hair for a few seconds before he opened the case, pulling out the violin from it. He held it in his arms, looking at every single detail and taking them in deeply. The fascination he had for violins was almost unrivaled, and only his father could compete, Utau knew.

"Dad will like it."

"I hope so."

"I know it."

Utau smiled as she stood up. Ikuto was not only her brother, but also one of the only people in the world that could fix her day when it had went so badly. Despite them having secrets for each other at times (such as the secret girlfriend, Utau grumbled), they still had a deep trust that could never be broken.

"Who got you so fired up, anyway?" Ikuto asked, only mildly interested.

"How did you kno-" The look in his eyes told her enough. 'I know everything' was repeated in her mind from earlier, similar occasions. "It's nothing, just some guy."

Ikuto smirked, his mischievous side kicking in. "Did you get rejected by someone?" His question was met with a glare.

"Of course not."

Acting as if he was deeply in thought over the guy, Ikuto stroked his non-existent beard. As he glanced over at the blonde, he could see that she was actually thinking about something. Utau rarely overthought things, she always acted in the heat of the moment and barely cared about the consequences.

Now he was interested for real. Not that he was planning to show any kind of concern of any sorts. Certain strange behavior could only be met by teasing… Well, he took all kinds of behavior as a chance to tease the people he adored. Which in his case, only meant his sweet girlfriend of almost-a-year, and his dearest sister (and sometimes his dad, but they had the same personality so that always caused a clash in which no one could possibly win.)

"You fell in love with someone, but you think you can't get him?"

"I can get any- I only met the guy today." Utau was getting irritated.

"Love at first sight but you don't know how you're going to see him again?" Utau was starting to hate her brother.

"I dislike him, and I know where he lives."

"So, you're stalking him, but he hates you?"

Oh, her brother was good. Far too good.

"I can't see why your girlfriend would like someone like you. Poor girl."

Ah, a low blow. Not a very good insult, but it was the best subject to shut her brother up. He waved his hand at her.

"I was only trying to help, you know?" He whined, in an obnoxious manner that she hated the most.

Why did she like her brother again? Utau really wondered why she'd even told him anything about it. She should've known his reaction. Not that their light bickering didn't heighten her mood, but that was beside the case. She gave her brother a soft jab to the arm as she picked up the violin. At that moment, Utau's phone vibrated in her pocket.

She checked it, and saw that it was Amu, asking her if she could meet up. With a sigh, she quickly typed a 'no, sorry', before putting the phone back in her pocket. Amu was her best friend and all that, but she wasn't in the mood to go out again, her afternoon had been too tiring for that.

"Who was it?" Ikuto asked, trying to remember the names of Utau's friends. He only knew Amu out of all of them, and well, that was quite logical. Her being his girlfriend and such. Utau threw her phone to her brother so that he could see it himself, and with a grin, he quickly established that it was, indeed, Amu. There was something about her constant use of emoticons that was just too damn adorable in his opinion. He didn't even know anyone else that did it as constant as her, most simply used one or two to emphasize something, but Amu used them for every single thing.

"I'm going out," Ikuto mumbled as he stood up, grabbing a jacket from his chair.

"Sure."

"See you later." He gave his sister a quick kiss on her forehead before dashing out the window. How he hadn't broken anything yet was one of those eternal mysteries to Utau, but at the moment she simply wanted some rest. It had been a long day, and she had to sing on her father's party the next day.

Why he still had a party at such an age? Well, let's say he was one big kid for such things. And his friends liked parties too, so it wasn't a waste.

But that, that's for another time, and another place.

_/ END CHAPTER ONE /_

AN: I highly hate Kuutau. They don't fit each other in my opinion. Why am I writing this, then? Well, let's just say that I have no clue either.

This is either a two, or a three shot, but certainly not longer.

As for the plot… Let's just say that there's a reason the title is 'fugacious' (or 'fleeting', for that matter.)

Concrit is always welcome, my dears, so give it your best shot.


End file.
